Lindows to go public

San Diego (CA) - Lindows announced today that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the initial public offering of its common stock.

According to the filing, the company plans to raise $57 million. The proceeds will allow the company to increase its staff for marketing and sales. Also, founder, chairman and Ceo Michael Robertson will receive about $10.4 million as repayment of debt obligations.

Last week, the company renamed its Linux distribution from LindowsOS to Linspire in order to a avoid trademark violation lawsuits from Microsoft. The website www.lindows.com has been replaced by www.linspire.com , which now serves the primary site for consumers who are looking for products of the company.

Lindows said that the two-year-old case between Lindows and Microsoft over the trademark "windows" will continue in the United States. Microsoft has appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the case is pending a decision as to whether the Appeals Court will hear Microsoft’s appeal. The name Lindows will still be used in the United States in certain instances and as the corporate name.